


How Do You Like Your Coffee?

by Buckshots



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Fuck Canon, I can't believe there's a whole tag for coffee shops and cafes, I'm so sorry, Modern Era, Multi, NYC, Slow Burn, Threesome - F/F/M, Threesome - F/M/M, but sexy times will come, coffeeshop, dirty language everywhere, get ready, slow build up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-16
Updated: 2016-06-27
Packaged: 2018-03-23 05:36:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3756379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Buckshots/pseuds/Buckshots
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Evelyn spent her days working as a video game dev and solving problems, without too much action... until she met Cullen, the handsome vet barista who was straight out of rehab. Then things got interesting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. To-Go

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Still fairly new to AO3. Suggestions, comments, and criticism are always very appreciated.

“Shit,” Evelyn muttered under her breath as she gently banged her fist into the glass window of her favorite coffeeshop. Her sigh fogged the glass, but that line was still visible. Seven people… four more than there needed to be for her to acquire a latte and make it to her morning meeting on time. If there were three or less, she could have done it. Five, she would have tried. Seven? If all of them had just been getting drip coffee, she still would be late.

“Fucking hell”. She pushed herself off of the glass and ran across the street, catching the light as the flashing red hand counted down 3...2….1… That run turned into a sprint as an overzealous cabbie nearly smacked into her. Evelyn placed both hands on the hood of his car, taking precious seconds of her perfectly planned day to grace the man with a scowl, followed by two middle fingers and a little side-to-side dance.

“Ughhh, fuck me,” she whispered as she scampered down the sidewalk. Coffee was needed or she was going to die. It had been a rough morning- she had awoken to a lack of both water and power. Signs in the hallways said that there was an “emergency” and utilities were suspended “until further notice”. She hadn’t been able to straighten her hair, and could barely see as she applied her makeup. Then, her train had paused on the bridge for a little too long. She needed some goddamn coffee.

As she rounded the final corner to her office, she noticed the new little quirky coffeeshop there. Fancy latte places were a dime a dozen in Manhattan, with awkward yupster types hugging macbooks cramming them to the seams. But this place was new, and seemed quiet. The staff wore bright colors- a true anomaly to the landscape. Plus, they sold pie, which was so two summers ago. 

She peeked through the window. No line. “Ah, what the hell,” she said to herself as she pushed open the door. 

A surly looking teenager was behind the counter as she walked in. The girl didn’t even make eye contact or welcome Evelyn as she opened the door. No wonder this place didn’t have a fucking line. Evelyn gazed down at some of the pastries, wondering if maybe she should make today her cheat day, when she was surprised by a lilting voice.

“Good morning, miss”.

She raised her eyes to meet with the most incredible face she had ever seen. His blonde hair nearly matched the gold of his eyes. His stubble had overgrown to the point of nearly being a beard, but not quite. Had he been wearing a beanie, or guages, or not had that huge scar on his lip, he would have looked quite the hipster type. His accent was some form of British- she wasn’t well versed, so she wasn’t sure, and he looked positively ripped, at least on his forearms, which were covered in religious tattoos. Crosses and roses.

“Is there something you’d like?” He asked, a smile on those lips.

“Uh… yes. Yes, there is,” she nearly laughed as she answered, feeling a bit flummoxed. Guys almost never had this effect on her, but this barista…

“Then what can I do for you?”

“Uh…” All she could think about were the things she wanted him to do to her. “A very large latte with skim milk and an extra shot of espresso, please”.

“Will that be a super ventissimo or a grande largo?” He gracefully waved an arm to the chalkboard menu above him. As he moved, dog tags fell out from the collar of his plaid shirt to hang over his unfortunate bright purple apron.

“How high and hopped up on Starbucks was your boss when he came up with that?” she asked, nearly winking at him. Winking? What the ever loving fuck was she doing? Since when did she wink? She had to get to work.

“Uh, well, you see…” He reached up one hand to rub the back of his neck. “That, you know, would be me. I’m the owner,” he grimaced with the confession.

“Oh. Oh my god. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to offend,’ she stammered. Of course she would fuck it up immediately with this gorgeous guy. 

He rubbed a bizarre pattern on his forearms, which she now noticed were littered with tiny scars under the tattoos. “No worries. I don’t really look the type, I know, but, yeah. This is my place. Welcome to Temple Coffee,” he said with a flourish. “I’m crafting you the biggest latte we have”.

“Right. Thanks,” was all she was able to mutter before he swung behind the counter to make her drink. She immediately took out her phone to check the time, and was surprised to see that she was okay- there were still a full five minutes before the design committee check-in. Bull and Krem had been spending the entire day prior coming up with a new level concept for their upcoming game, and Leliana had been effortlessly running the QA effort on the prior levels, trying to break them to the best of her ability. Apparently Lel had encountered some sort of massive bug that crashed on slightly outdated operating systems, and Evelyn was going to have to try to fix it before the meeting with her project manager, Josephine, who then had to report to upper management.

“One perfect latte, just for you,” he smiled, as he placed the drink in front of her. My god, it was huge. And it had a well-made heart shape on the top of it.

She set her phone down on the counter as she rummaged around in her purse. “What do I owe you,” she asked, taking out her wallet.

“This is your first time here, right?”

“Yeah”.

“Then, you owe me nothing. First drink is always on the house at Temple’s”. He reached under the counter and produced a piece of paper. “Every tenth drink is free too, if you want one of these loyalty cards”.

“Really, you’re not going to charge me for this giant thing?” she questioned in slight disbelief.

He smirked, and his voice dropped to a lower, darker pitch. “It’s my pleasure to make a nice drink for a lovely woman like you... especially if it means you come back”. 

Evelyn took a moment to look at his nametag. Cullen. What a cool name.

“Well Cullen, then I guess you’ll be seeing me again tomorrow morning,” she said as she placed a lid and a sleeve on her cup.

She reached out to grab her phone off of the counter, and he placed his hand over hers. The touch nearly made her jump with surprise, but miraculously, she kept her cool. Looking up through her eyelashes, her gaze met his.

Cullen smiled, and stroked her hand with his thumb. “I’d like that”.

She pulled back, placing her phone in her pocket, and grinning so much that you could see her smile in her eyes. “Me too”.

Evelyn ran out of the coffeeshop to make her meeting on time, and Cullen enjoyed watching her leave. Jesus Christ, she was beautiful. He was stunned when he saw through the windows that she had gone into the office building right across the street. She worked right there! Maybe he would actually see her again.

The teenage girl, Sera, came out from the back and threw a rag at his face. He caught it in midair with two fingers, and used it to wipe his brow, repeating their exchange over and over again in his head. 

I’d like that. Me too. 

He leaned up against the counter, closed his eyes, folded his arms, grinned, and whispered to himself-...“You said that”.


	2. Black

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which other characters are introduced and the Inquisitor is totally late to work.

“Shit!” Evelyn cried as she scampered into the lobby of the office building. The elevator doors closed in front of her eyes, and though she had tried to swing her bag into the crack between them to hold the damn thing… it hadn’t worked. She watched helplessly as the old contraption took its time hitting floor two… three… all the way up to fifteen before it started its descent. Why did the building have only one elevator? Didn’t the landlord know people had things to do? She started to fiddle with her phone.

“Fucking hell,” she muttered under her breath as she looked at the time. 10:01. She was already late... without the elevator. Darn that handsome coffeeshop man… Cullen, that was his name. Cullen. “Cullen,” she found herself saying it out loud, trying it on with her tongue. The hard attack of the “c” followed by the lilting purr of the rest of the rest of the name. She could get used to that. Well… Temple’s was right across the street. Maybe she would get used to it, she thought, as she smirked to herself, just in time for the elevator to ding. Finally, the doors opened.

“Ughh, fuck me.” She couldn’t be thinking about Coffeeshop Cullen. She had work to do. The game they’d been working on for the past few monthes, Inquisition, was nearing Alpha testing, and the QA team just kept finding dumb shit. Shit she hadn’t planned for, and shit she couldn’t explain. It was the opposite of ideal. There was one conversation where you could talk to the commander of your forces, and instead of looking straight at him, you got stuck underneath the table that was next to you, and were just looking at its underside. Pitiful. And it definitely wasn’t animation’s fault, apparently… So she would have to go in and solve the problem, like she always did. Find the bit of broken code and fight it until it worked without weird shit happening. She’d come up with so many inventive fixes to strange occurrences for this project that her team had started calling her “Inquisitor” as a nickname. Though Evelyn didn’t particularly like it, she did appreciate that they saw her work as necessary, so she didn’t stop them. 

She punched the button for the fifteenth floor and watched, breathing a sigh of thanks as the doors begin to close, when they were stopped… by a purse. Not just a purse… an amazing purse. One of the classiest black purses she had ever seen. Oh no. Could today get any worse?

The doors slid back open, revealing an equally classy hat, a leather wide-brimmed fedora with a gold chain, atop a superlatively elegant woman. 

“Ahh, Evelyn, how are you doing today?” she asked with a lilting tone, eyes looking confidently directly into Evelyn’s own. Daring her to feel uncomfortable.

“Oh, ah. Good morning, Vivienne. I’m well. Thanks. Things are... good” Evelyn stammered with an awkward grin.

“I see you’ve already hit fifteen. How convenient”. 

“Yeah… I mean, I work here,” Evelyn cursed herself as she realized how dumb that sounded.

“Yes, my dear, I’m aware. I hired you”. The elevator finally began to rise. “So, am I to expect a build by the end of the day today, or is it being delayed…” Vivienne looked at her nails, marvelling at her obviously perfect manicure, enjoying how it glinted in the light. “...again?” She turned her head slowly towards her employee. Her boss’s ability to move individual joints of her body without seeming to engage any unnecessary muscles never failed to fill Evelyn with both awe and deep discomfort. 

“Ha. Yes. The new build!” Evelyn made a weird thumbs up before realizing in horror how corny it was and placing both hands in her pockets. “It… I, uh…” she giggled uncomfortably. “I might be here past normal business hours, but I’ll be distributing it for internal review before I leave tonight. I promise”. She fiddled with her purse.

“Is that what you’re having a meeting about this morning? I noticed that the larger conference room was booked out by the Inquisition team for quite awhile. That’s one of the reasons I chose to arrive later than usual today”.

“Well, yeah. It’s… we… the build will totally be out by the end of the day,” Evelyn awkward-giggled again through the last few words as the elevator finally opened up to their offices. The sprawling circular, gold logo of Circle gaming and the front desk displayed to their view. Evelyn held the door and allowed Vivienne to exit first, for which the regal lady gave a gentle nod of acknowledgement before flipping around and placing her hand on her employee’s.

“Good. Anything less would be truly unacceptable”. Evelyn’s heart raced as her anxiety level skyrocketed.

As Evelyn tried to slow her heartbeat and stepped out of the elevator, it was clear that she hadn’t been the only one to catch the exchange. The receptionist was peeking her head out from behind the desk, eyes wide with terror.

“Well, Inquisitor, looks like Lady Vivienne is in a... mood today. I’m sorry you had to deal with that. Seems like everyone is in that place today, actually. It’s rough in there. Be prepared…” The small woman shuffled some papers around on her desk before giving Evelyn a smile.

“Thanks, Lace. I appreciate it, but I got this”.

“I know, I know. You solve all of our problems. We just don’t thank you enough,” she said as she adjusted her lamp, causing it to glint off of her shiny desk nametag. Ms. Harding.

“That means a lot. Thank you. Um, do you know if the Inquisition meeting already started?” Evelyn asked.

“And how. They’ve been in there since nine. Were… where have you been?”

“NINE!?!” Evelyn yelled, throwing up her arms and then putting one hand on the desk to steady herself. Her purse swung wildly with the movement. “Mother of god, I thought it started at ten. Fuck me”.

“Well, that would explain a lot. And if you’re looking to get fucked, maybe you should call that number that just fell out of your bag,” Lace giggled as she pointed at a card that had landed on the floor.

“What the…” Evelyn bent down and picked it up. It was the stupid loyalty card from Temple’s, and Lace was right. It did have a number on it. That sly bastard. 

“Stop daydreaming about business card bro and get to your goddamn meeting!” Lace finally scolded her. Evelyn set off at a run, pocketing the card and giving it a gentle pat. She would text him, she promised herself… tomorrow. After she fixed this bug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading! Sorry it took so long for the update. To thank all of you for your patience, I'll be posting chapter 3 tomorrow, 5/1. All comments, suggestions, criticisms, and kudos are extremely appreciated and taken to heart.
> 
> And yes, Cullen is back next chapter. Fear not.


	3. A Tad Bit Sweet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cullen stays at the coffee shop after work hours, but he's late for his date!

“Mother of god!” Cullen cursed as the steaming mug of hot chocolate shattered and splashed all over the tiled floor. Instead of immediately cleaning it up, he squatted right beside the mess, and brought his hands to his mouth. Sadness crusted his eyes. The insistent tremors of his fingers felt odd on his jaw. The shakes didn’t usually hit him so early in the evening like this. It was troubling. He looked at himself in the reflective metal of the espresso machine to see red eyes, goosebumps… he looked like shit. It had been a slow evening, and he could feel the sensations hitting him especially hard, so instead of going straight home, he’d stayed, put on some music, and made himself a snack in the shop, ready to hunker down until the symptoms passed. Of course, now his snack was seeping into the tiled flooring, he was down a good mug, and actually felt worse than he had an hour before.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, causing him to jump just a little. His head bumped up against the counter, which hurt more than it should have due to his increased sensitivity. Cullen moved to take it out of his pocket, and the stupid device fell right into the spilled chocolate. Grabbing a rag to clean it off, he accidentally hung up on the caller.

“Ugh, Jesus Christ,” he muttered as he flung the rag down onto the puddle of liquid and ceramic shards, and stood, checking to make sure that his phone still worked. It did. Cass had called him? Oh wait, Cass! He was supposed to meet her half an hour ago. He panicked, nearly dropping the phone again, as he tried to call her back.

“Rutherford! Open the damn door,” he heard a voice, accompanied by loud banging on the glass door of the shop. There was his good friend Cassandra, looking official as always. He scrambled over, fumbling as he tried to undo the lock. His fingers slipped once, twice, three times before it finally came open, and she stepped into the coffee shop.

Cass grabbed his hands in her own, and felt them shaking. She stroked her thumbs over his palms, before reaching one hand up to his face, where she saw the redness in his eyes- the tired look. Then, she noticed the chocolate stains on his pants.

“Where the hell were you?” she asked as she pulled him into a tight hug. He responded by holding her close, grabbing on to her leather jacket with both hands for support. 

“I… there was a lot to get done. I was on my way…” Cullen stammered.

“Bullshit. I was waiting in that bar for half an hour, waiting around… a few guys hit on me. Me! I must have appeared like I was looking for someone,” she stepped back, dropping her arms from around him with a sigh, looking clearly annoyed. She took a small walk around the room, hands locked together behind her back, footfalls heavy. Then, she peered over the counter. 

Cassandra turned to face him, compassion returning to her face. “So. It’s bad today, I take it?”

“Ah, well… yes. Yes, it… Cass… I don’t know if I can do this”.

“Do what?”

“This coffee shop. Temple’s. I mean… I love it. It’s wonderful preparing the menus and talking with customers, but I just broke a mug. Jesus, that’s the second one this week. The cost of having me here is…” he trailed off, bringing his hand to the back of his neck, and sitting in one of the booths.

Cassandra set her bag down on the floor, and flung her leather jacket on top of it. Her outfit consisted of dark wash jeans, and a high neck button up, black, with a vest. Always conservative, professional. No jewelry, but surprisingly dark eyeshadow. Cullen wasn’t surprised men had noticed her at the bar. She was beautiful, but in a mature, domineering sort of way. Not his type in the slightest, but she was the best friend he had ever had.

She sat down next to him, and put an arm around his shoulders, moving her face in line with his. “Cullen. This coffeeshop is yours. You won that award for a small business grant fair and square when you left the house. And some days…” he turned his head away from her, huffing quietly. “Look at me”. He did. “Thank you. I know you don’t believe me, but the withdrawal symptoms… they will pass eventually. You’ve been doing so well, and you’re stronger than this. We both know you are”.

“I know, I know… it’s just… Ah. Some days, it’s so bad. I can’t hold anything without dropping it. I sweat, and the nightmares…” he looked up at the ceiling, attempting to compose himself. “Cass,” he closed his eyes tight, pushing away the memories. “She’s still there. In my dreams. I see it, every night, what they did to her. What they did to me. I.. I don’t know if I can endure this, being in charge of something again after…”

 

Cassandra’s eyes met his. “You can endure it, and you will. I’m here for you. Everyone at the house is here for you. All of your buddies know what you went through. We have your back, just like we did in Afghanistan. That’s what we do. We’re a family”.

“Thank you, but…”

“And she’d be proud of you, if she was here. If she knew you were doing this. If she knew you had quit, that you were running a business… she’d be proud,” Cass placed a hand on Cullen’s thigh.

“Ah, thank you,” he said, abruptly standing. “I just… I try not to think of her. Please don’t bring her up”.

“I miss her too”.

He glared. “You have no idea what I feel about everything that happened with her”.

Her eyes narrowed to match. “I don’t presume to, Commander”.

Cullen’s shakes began to slow at the sound of his title. “I know, Cass, I know. We don’t have to resort to titles. What I said was ridiculous, I’m aware. This is just… it’s hard”.

Cassandra grabbed her jacket, and motioned to him. “That’s why we are going to the bar. Come on”.

He grinned, and rolled his eyes. “Fine. Fine. Let me grab my coat”.

Cullen mosied his way back to the break room to grab his wallet and jacket and felt his phone buzz again. Removing it from his pocket, he was surprised to see a text from an unknown number. He slid open the screen, and smiled widely as he read the message. 

‘Hey. Sorry to text so late. This is that girl from this morning. You passed me your number. I had a really rough day, and I’m drinking over at Spellbound pub tonight. If you’re not doing anything, stop by or something. If you want’

He nearly giggled. She had actually texted him. The loyalty card had been a stretch… he hadn’t expected that to work. But she had actually texted him. That beautiful woman. He rubbed the back of his neck again, this time for an entirely different reason. Bashfulness.

The man who walked out of the break room was not the same man who had gone in. The Cullen who entered was shaky, full of withdrawal, longing, depression. His eyes were vague and his movements lethargic. The one who came out had a brightness in his visage Cassandra hadn’t seen since… well, since the incident, and his subsequent collapse into addiction. She hadn’t seen him look this way since he had looked at Lieutenant Amell. Wait… was he?

“Is there… a woman in your life, Cullen?”

He laughed an awkward belly laugh, waving around his phone in slight shame, when she grabbed it, and read his messages, first seeing the one from the unknown number, and then opening her mouth in surprise as the phone vibrated and he received another.

“Hey Cass, give me that”.

“Oh my, no. This is too good. Coffeeshop Cullen,” she held the screen up to his view.

‘I’d like that.’

‘Great. Get your butt over here then you coffeeshop stud’

“... she… she called me a stud. I’ve never been called a stud before,” he blushed.

“You’re very attractive, Commander. Amell wasn’t the only one who thought so back in the day”.

“Oh shut up”.

“I’m serious. Not me, of course, you’re not my type. Not romantic enough, but some of the other ladies in the barracks talked about you and your pectorals on occasion”.

“You’re bluffing’.

“I’m not sure why I would bluff about that. Anyway… go get her! Why are you still here?” Cassandra tried to push him out the door.

“Will you come with me?” he opened his eyes wide and made a needy face as he stepped outside and fiddled with his keys.

Cass grabbed her bag and shoved him the rest of the way out of the building before pursing her lips and giving him a smack on the arm. “You’re going to try and pick up this woman by bringing another woman with you?”

“Um, yes? Maybe. I was… I was thinking you could be my, well, wing man?”

Her lips pursed further.

“Wing lady?”

“Commander. I order you to go seduce this… what’s her name, anyway?”

“I…” his face turned a particular shade of red. “I don’t actually know”.

Cass banged her head into the glass, and stayed there, speaking into the doorframe. “You’re such a champion. This is exactly why you’re not my type”.

Cullen mocked injury, grabbing his stomach. “You wound me. What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re not romantic”.

“I am too!”

“You’re really not”.

“What?!? I-”

She picked his phone out of his picket, and once again held it up so that he could read it. “After that lovely, seductive message she sent to you. You replied with, ‘sure why not'... with a winky face. Not an emoji, even. A semicolon and a parentheses. That’s the worst white boy text I have ever seen in my entire life. Are you going to ask her to take nude pictures in the shower now?”

“I’m so confused. I said yes to her”.

Cass smirked, placing his phone back in his pocket and giving his butt a little tap. “You’re hopeless loverboy. Go get her”. She hugged him, and went off towards her subway stop.

“Oh! And Commander! If you manage to get laid tonight, I expect a full report tomorrow!” She yelled from across the street.

“Who’s the one being not very romantic now?” he called back with a guffaw, as he looked at his phone one last time. 

‘I think we should spend some time together’ the text read.

“I’d like that,” Cullen whispered to himself, as he raised his hand to hail a cab. Subways were too slow. He had a date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took an extra day to post. I've actually changed gears completely of where I'm going with this. No worries- still modern new york coffeeshop au, but it will probably be longer than initially planned, and have a more developed plot line and relationships. Because those never hurt anyone. There is still smut on the horizon, have no fear.
> 
> All comments, kudos, and recommendations are extremely appreciated and taken to heart. Thanks!!


	4. Mocha

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First dates are always a little unusual.
> 
> Sorry the original post had so many odd typos. Wrote a lot of it on mobile, that was dumb.

"Mother of god," Cullen breathed to himself when he saw her sitting at the bar. She had clearly had a rough day, like she mentioned in her text message. Makeup blurred around her eyes, and her hair was tousled, as if she'd run her hands through it a few dozen times in exasperation. She was stunning. Her blazer from earlier was gone, and her toned arms rested upon the bar on either side of her dark beer. Cullen was surprised by her muscularity- he hadn't expected that. Smirking to himself, pleased with the current situation, he stood up a bit taller and began to walk towards her when he felt a gentle touch on his arm.

"Jesus Christ-" he spun to see a woman in her fifties grinning at him.

"Not quite," she replied, grabbing his bicep and escorting him over to the bar. "Someday I hope to be with him, but lord willing, today is not that day".

They both sat down at the bar, on the completely opposite end than where Evelyn was now checking her phone anxiously. Cullen cast a longing look in her direction, which the older woman picked upon immediately.

"Ah. That's why our good little Catholic boy is out at the bar".

He rubbed his neck. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean".

"That beautiful girl over there".

His eyes narrowed and his shoulders raises bashfully. "Heh. Um... yeah. Yes. I'm here to meet her. But... why are you here, Justinia? Don't you have some outreach to be in charge of or something? A first communion class? No one does more at our parish than you do."

Justinia swished her drink before downing it in one gulp, tilting her head back to get every last drop. "Ah. I have all of the outreach to be in charge of, essentially. So many people in need. So many to help. So many. All the time… Thus, the drinks". She grinned. "I like to think of it as self care. Now, go. We can talk about religious matters later. That poor girl hasn't stopped checking her phone since she got here”.

"I can’t believe I bumped into you at a bar,” Cullen sighed in exasperation. “I promise not to tell anyone about this on Sunday if you don’t".

She winked. "Cross my heart and hope to die".

Cullen's heart stopped for a moment as he watched the woman check her phone once more, and then begin to gather her things. He was filled with such enthusiasm to stop her, that he nearly leapt over the bar, instead grabbing the counter edge with his hands and vaulting himself around the other patrons to reach her. 

As she ducked to retrieve her jacket from the hook under the counter , she noticed him. He had showed after all. The jacket hit the ground, hook abandoned as she stood rapidly, attempting to lock eyes with him. He watched as she deftly avoided hitting her head on the bar without so much as a glance.

"Um... hey. I got your, uh... text " he looked up at the ceiling, at down at the floor, at the bartender, everywhere around the room as he spoke. 

"Yes. I know. You responded to it," her hand raised, twisting as she moved, and for a moment, he thought she might be reaching out to touch his face. He could feel the blood showing through his cheeks in anticipation. But instead, her eyes connected with the bartender, as she held up two fingers and tilted her head back ever so slightly. The bartender immediately grabbed two glasses and began to fill them with the house seasonal craft.

"You... you command quite a bit of attention here, my lady," he smirked, beginning to regain his composure.

"Vague British accent, calling me 'my lady'..." she ran her fingers along the collar of his shirt and met his gaze through lashes plump with multiple coatings of mascara. "Are you sure you're a barista and not a prince?" She took her drink from the bartender and moved her fingers from Cullen's collar to the rim of the glass, which she traced in lazy circles with her pointing finger, tilting her head to the side.

Cullen gulped and attempted to cover his awe by taking a nice long drink of his beer.

"And, that loyalty card move... you're a true romantic, you know that?"

He nearly spit out his beer as he held back a laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"I just, right before coming here, had a conversation with my friend in which she called me hopelessly unromantic, essentially. It's why I didn't rush here sooner," Cullen leaned against the bar and set down his drink, taking in her reaction. He could be smooth. It could happen. He wasn't suave all the time, but only bastards were, truly. 

Evelyn drank her first sips of her new beer. "She? Tell me you're not married".

He laughed and rubbed his neck. "Jesus Christ, to Cassandra? No. She's like a sister to me- more than my own sister. But she's my closest friend. You'd like her".

Evelyn tilted her head to the side, a seductive smirk spreading across all of her features. "Oh, are we already at the point of meeting your friends now? If I remember correctly, I haven't even told you my name yet".

"Heh. Yes. Well... that's, uh, true..." Cullen trailed off and dumped beer down his throat.

"I generally try to make sure a man knows my name and... other more intimate details about me before he takes me to meet his buddies," her eyes devoured him hungrily as they traveled along his collarbone, up his neck, past the scar on his lip.

He sat back, energy grasping her meaning. "Well, as a... prince, I don't get to escape my tower for adventures that aren't war very often. You'll have to excuse me for getting so excited".

"It's wonderful, my lord. I'm utterly enchanted," she whispered with soft lips as she rested her elbow on the bar and her chin on her hand.

"My lord? Well, then... tonight is truly more exciting than I could have anticipated".

"Evelyn. My name is Evelyn".

"Evelyn," he tried it on his tongue, and then sighed. "That's beautiful. If you don't mind me saying... you're quite beautiful".

She leaned forward towards him. "You're not half bad to look at yourself, Cullen".

His heart skipped a beat with her face so close to his. He reached out to touch her cheek, and at the contact, she nuzzled into his hand. The sweat on his collar began to dissipate at her touch. The nervousness melted away. Her eyes closed as she breathed in the smell of his hand- chocolate and caffeine. Perfect. Mocha was her favorite.

She grasped his hand with both of hers, removing it from her face so that she could languidly kiss his palm. "So, what's up with all the tattoos? You have a number of them".

Cullen instinctually began to pull his hand away from her touch, but the way she was stroking her thumbs over his palm, massaging him gently, was intoxicating. He inched closer.

"You're saving me a trip to the masseuse," he grinned, bringing his other hand to rest on top of hers.

"What can I say? I'm good with my hands," she caressed one of his fingers, starting at the base of the digit and swirling circles towards the tip. 

"Oh. Ohhh". This time he was unable to stop his drawback, and he instead grabbed his drink and took a long swig. Evelyn pouted and turned away, finishing off her beer at a chug.

"No, wait, Ev... I..."

Her face lit up. "No one has called me Ev in a very, very long time. I like that you just did".

The back of his neck needed a rub yet again. "I like you too, I mean... wait!" sparkles danced across her eyes as she stood and moved towards him. "Mother of god.... I... uh, yes. No. Don't wait. I meant that. I like you. But..."

She was so close. Her perfume was of jasmine and something exotic he couldn't quite place. The seductive aura around her was so potent that he was sure everyone in the bar could sense their flirtation, their intellectual sparring session. That's when he decided- this daring, vivacious woman... he wanted her. If she was willing, he would take her home with him tonight. He hoped she was willing for more than just sex, but either way, he needed.

Cullen dove in to meet her lips with his when a hard slap on his back instead shoved him off balance and into her. In his attempt to catch himself from the blow, he wildly grasped for the bar, missing it entirely in his twitterpated stupor, and instead flinging his drink right towards her face. Her move was immediate. He was so taken by surprise that he barely realized that she had acted until all was righted. Her hands launched into the air in a circle, securing the drink to arrive safely back on the table as a tender spiral gesture of her elbow deflected his head away from butting her in the chest. 

Cullen shook his head from side to side, then cracked his neck to regain his composure. He turned to see.. Jim. Oh no.

"Commander! I didn't know you frequented this bar. How are you? I haven't seen you since you took your health leave".

Cullen gave Jim his best death stare, hoping the dolt would take a hint. He didn't.

"How is that going anyway? Are you out of rehab? Someone told me something about a coffee shop or something but I told them no one quits entirely that quickly..."

Cullen's stare transformed to abject horror as he practically growled, "Get. Out".

Jim's eyes flitted around, his conversation train cut off. Cullen shifted uncomfortably and Jim noticed the stunning woman sitting next to him, looking down and playing with a strand of her hair.

"Right. I mean... I just hope you're doing well, Commander. We all miss you". And Jim buggered off, not just away from them, but out of the bar completely.

Cullen's vision remained where Jim has just exited, fear and anxiety crowding his logical thought. If that bastards had just fucked this up for him...

Evelyn spoke as she collected her bag, "Look, I'm not exactly a beacon of perfection either, and if you have things you need to-"

His lips stifled her next words, gently and insistently caressing her as his full body pressed up against hers. The musculature of his torso was defined even through his shirt, and she felt his whole body shudder against her as his head, shoulders, and lips moved in exquisite tandem. Her lips parted and they began to explore each others mouths, opening and closing in a sweet, yet driving rhythm. Sultry, but caring. The tenderness in his touch thrilled her.

Cullen parted their faces before bringing his forehead to rest on hers for a moment. He then looked down at the floor before meeting her gaze through his lashes. "I'm sorry. That was... really nice".

She smirked. "That was what I wanted".

His lips were on her again, hungrier this time, searching for answers to questions not yet raised. She responded in kind, shifting her body in towards him. He gripped her waist tightly, and when this kiss ended, they simply held one another for a few moments, heads buried into each other's shoulders. Neither of them moved beyond simple caresses. Neither of them spoke a word. For a solid minute, everything stopped for them. The loud yells across the bar, the lights bouncing off of glasses full of varying liquors, the colors and vibrancies of best friends, flirting couples, and strangers, the scents of hops, pheromones, and too much cologne. All of it faded away.

When Cullen finally broke the embrace. He played a heavenly kiss on her forehead, and she whimpered in appreciation. Then, he spoke, keeping her body against him, drawing circles on her back with fingers learning the language of her nuances. "Look, Ev... I'm, well, if we do this... I'm not interested in just a one night kind of a thing with you".

She kissed him chastely, then separated, buying her lip before responding. "I wasn't kidding earlier when I said I've gone through some shit in my life..."

"One of my subordinates told you that I have a drug problem. I'm quite understanding of such things".

She blushed. "I... want to care for you. I like you. Do you think you could feel the same about me?"

He tilted his head back, lip scar twisted with a grin. "I could. I mean... I do. Think of you like that, that is. I spent all day dreaming about what I'd say in this situation".

Evelyn ran her finger from the cleft of his neck down his chest before brushing her lips against his ear and whispering, "Say you'll take me home with you tonight".

"Yes".

"Say this won't be the only time you do".

"Jesus Christ, yes!" He cried emphatically, eyes wide. 

She stood and grabbed her bag. "I need to use the restroom. Meet me out front?"

"Anything you say, my dear".

Evelyn gave a little wave and headed towards the back. Cullen practically skipped out the door, elation written on his every feature, totally oblivious to anything else in the world. When he finally got outside, he checked his phone to see multiple messages of encouragement from Cassandra.

 

Every time Cullen told the story, each cop he briefed over the next few days- he was never really sure how to explain what happened after that. The force hit him before the sound did. He didn't notice the glass shards, the smoke, the screams, for the first half a minute. Just the push of air outwards from the point of impact. He woke on the ground, dazed, phone melting, shirt ripped. Everything had that fresh battle smell. When he turned his head, the building was mostly gone-exploded, caving in. Small bits of fiery rafters fell every few moments, adding to the crackling roar of the growing torrent of flame.

And one lone figure stumbled out of the rubble.


	5. All of the Caffeine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angst. angst. angst.
> 
> Sorry it took me so long to update. I blew up a building and then ran away. Oops. Lots going on in my personal and professional life right now. Updates on that to follow. I hope you like this chapter, though :)

"Mother of god," Cullen snarled as Cassandra helped him through the door. He held his side and cried out again as she lowered him into a booth. The pain was one he had experienced before, and had hoped to not feel again. Broken ribs were the opposite of fun. And just like the last time he'd had this injury, Cass was there at his side. Leliana followed them through the entrance, locking it behind her.

"I'm glad we decided to stop here after the funeral. I could use something sweet to drown my sorrows," she mused, browsing through the sweets in the counter.

"Those are meant to be for tomorrow," Cullen protested.

Leliana bit her lower lip and widened her eyes.

"But please, take whatever you like, Leliana," Cullensaid with a slight laugh. He attempted to stand, then slumped back into his seat. "You may, however, have to fetch it yourself".

"Ah, I've got it," groaned Cassandra as she vaulted over the booth. "Not that I know how to use this... espresso machine, but I can definitely pour you something or throw a croissant at you".

"A croissant would be just fine, thank you," Leliana smiled as the pastry flew towards her face at a surprising speed. She caught it as she lowered herself to the seat, smirking.

Cassandra looked her up and down. "Fancy. Very fancy. Looks like you haven't forgotten everything".

Leliana's smile left her face as it became a blank slate, intense. "I never forget anything".

At that, silence fell over the room. Cassandra fixed coffees for all three of them. Black, just like the old days. Well, in the old days there might have been a shitty bit of powdered creamer in there, and the coffee probably would have been instant. This was far superior.

All three stared into their drinks, conversation slaughtered. The funeral had been, as most funerals are, a rather depressing affair. She had been extremely well-liked by so many. She'd done so much good. The media coverage certainly hadn't diffused the situation at all- it was hard to allow yourself an emotional catharsis when a camera lurked three feet from your face, eagerly awaiting the next newsworthy breakdown. None of them relished being on the news, especially not Cullen- not after the coverage from the past few days. He had been interviewed by so many detectives, so many reporters... and his memory of the events had been fuzzy from the start. He'd certainly been knocked out by the initial blast, and he'd been far too... distracted beforehand to notice anything amiss with the other patrons. His focus had been elsewhere. No one had seemed particularly suspicious. He'd had no insight into what had gone wrong.

The preliminary investigations blamed a gas leak due to an illegal siphoning to the upstairs apartments. Something so simple had led to so many deaths, including the woman they'd finally been able to mourn tonight.

"The church is not going to be the same without her," Leliana murmured into her coffee.

"She's at Jesus's side now. May we all be so lucky one day," Cassandra answered her, placing a supportive hand on her shoulder.

Cullen slammed his cup on the counter, spraying hot liquid everywhere. "Blast it all, Cass, she's dead. Not on vacation. Stop trying to make this sound better".

Leliana's face curled into a smirk. "Someone's grumpy this evening".

Cullen stood, the pain unimportant. "Grumpy? Is that what you think this is?"

The two ladies silently sipped at their coffee while averting eye contact.

Cullen continued. "I'm not grumpy. I'm furious... and justifiably so. I watched an entire building full of people- which I had just left- explode, right in front of my eyes. A woman I deeply, deeply admired died in there, and another..." he trailed off, noticing that both of their eyebrows raised.

"Another?" Asked Leliana.

Cassandra stood as well. "Right, you were there on a date. Do you know what happened to her? I'm sorry, with all the commotion, and Justinia... I didn't want to pry. I thought you'd mention..."

Cullen gently returned to his seat, wincing. "I... I have no idea. I was originally told that I was the only survivor of the blast, but I could have sworn I watched her walk out of there, basically unscathed".

It was Leliana's turn to smash her drink on the table. And smash it she did- the cup was obliterated, her hand coated in steaming coffee. She didn't flinch. "Why the hell didn't you tell the police about this? You had so many chances-"

Cullen cut her off. "I'm not sure what I saw. I was delirious. The blast knocked me out for at least half a minute- it was probably a hopeful dream".

"Was her name among the dead?" Cassandra asked tenderly as she gathered a stack of napkins.

He shook his head. "No. But wait- Leliana... she worked in your building. I know there are two dozen floors, but-"

Now Leliana cut him off as she began to help mop up her spilled coffee. "I know every person who works in my building".

Cullen rubbed the back of his neck. "Her name was... is... Evelyn".

Leliana's eyes widened. "I work with an Evelyn. She's our best developer, and a good friend of mine. But... she's been at work every day this week. Had a few odd cuts, but, I didn't dream that..." she trailed off as she stared out the window. "Speak of the devil".

He turned, and saw her. There she was, walking out of the office building, even more stunning than she'd been a few nights prior. they made eye contact. For a moment, he thought she might panic. She stepped back,and her arms flailed- she nearly dropped her phone. But then, she took a visible deep breath, and calmly walked to the door of the coffeeshop. She knocked daintily.

Cassandra was a thunderstorm, all fury and lightning. She had unlocked the door and thrown Evelyn inside before Cullen or Leliana had even shifted a muscle. Cassandra threw Evelyn against the booth, hair tousled everywhere, but instead of slumping, she grabbed the edge and held herself there.

"Uh... ow? I'm sorry. I don't believe we've met. My name's-"

"Tell me why I shouldn't kill you now!" Cassandra paced around her, menacing, and prepared to throw a haymaker. Cullen and Leliana flew towards her, restraining both of her arms.

"Jesus Christ!"

"We need to hear her out, Cassandra!"

Cass struggled to break free of her friends we Evelyn stood and spoke. "You think I did this? You think I'd blow up my favorite bar, with all those people? You're out of your mind". She brushed the hair out of her face and strode towards Cassandra, who flung Cullen off of her and grabbed Evelyn's neck with her free arm. Evelyn didn't flinch until Cullen cried out in pain. He had landed on his side with the broken ribs, and her face twisted into a whimper, her eyes soft.

Cassandra noticed something in Evelyn's expression that caused her to loosen her grip on the woman's neck. Leliana noticed her opportunity, and moved her hands from a restraining grip on Cassandra's arm to a loving touch on her shoulder.

"Cassandra. Let her go".

She did. Evelyn ran to Cullen's side as Cassandra questioned her. "Where were you? Why didn't you help the police? How are you alive when Justinia is dead?"

Evelyn touched Cullen's face tenderly, and she smiled. She helped him to sit up before meeting Cassandra's accusatory gaze. "I was terrified. I was a regular there- I knew so many of those people. When the... explosion happened, I was lucky enough to be in the corner stall of the bathroom. Both walls were foundations of the building. I was protected. My purse, which was hanging on the door next to me, was completely destroyed. If I had been sitting a few inches further forward. I would have been decapitated. When I came out of the rubble... everyone was dead. I was in a daze, and made my way down the block to a payphone to call 911. By the time I came back to the site, it was swarming with ambulances and cops. They were putting up tape, pushing onlookers away. One girl spoke up that she had witnessed it and they cuffed her and threw her in a car - not even a marked cop car. A red sedan. I just... I went home".

Tears collected in Evelyn's eyes as she told her tale. Cullen stroked her back. Cassandra let out an exasperated sigh and collapsed into a booth. Leliana, however, looked excited.

"You said the cops threw a female witness into an unmarked red car?" She asked.

"Yeah. They were brutal with her too. I haven't seen cops like that since..." she sighed. "In a long time".

"How have you been able to keep it together at work through all of this? I'm good at reading people and you've seemed... extremely normal," Leliana sipped her coffee, waiting for an answer.

"Well," she laughed. "When you're grumpy and curse a lot on your good days like me, it becomes really hard for people to tell when you're having a bad day".

"Jesus Christ, this is insanity," Cullen chimed in. "Why didn't you call me? Or stop by? I was... I was concerned for you".

"I did stop by. You haven't been here any mornings this week, and with it being so close to delivery date for Inquisition, I've been getting out late. Temples has already been closed. And I couldn't call you- my purse was vaporized".

"I've had too much for one day. I'm going home," Cassandra stated as she rose and made her way towards the door. "I've sorry i-" she looked back at Evelyn. "I... was so rude to you. It's been a long day".

Evelyn walked to Cassandra and took her hand. "No harm done. It's nice to meet you".

"I should probably get home as well. Tomorrow I'll have a lot of work since I took off today for the funeral," Leliana said as she gathered her things.

"Hopefully not all too much. I got rid of all the demonic bugs from this last round, " Evelyn smiled.

Leliana's demeanor stiffened. "Then I'm prepared for the next round of demons".

Evelyn tilted her head back, then directed her gaze to Cassandra's hand. "I think you'll find that there may be more out there than we bargained for".

Leliana and Cassandra left the shop together. Cullen finally rose from the floor and grasped Evelyn in a tight hug. "Don't ever do that to me again, please. I thought I lost you".

Her giggle was like silver as she pulled back to gift him a kiss on the cheek. "We didn't even establish yet that I was yours to lose".

"Ah. Hmm, good point, well..."

She interjected, “But I’d love to be”.

His lips crashed into hers. Their embrace was different than it had been in the bar a few nights before. Then, they were soft. There had been need in their touches, but they were gentle. This kiss was not gentle. She bit his lower lip. His hands grabbed her ass. She pushed him into the wall. They battled for dominance, both moving hands over bodies, laying kisses on necks, nibbling, claiming.

Cullen broke from her long enough to open the door to the back room and gesture to her. “After you”. She took his hand, and they disappeared through the door together.


	6. Sweetened

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which basements are dirty, emotions are difficult, kisses are sweet, and empathy wins the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been over a year since I posted. So, apologies for that. After I began writing this story, I moved across the country, got married, and designed on two major video games (some stuff about zombies and bats). It's been quite a year. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this newest installment. Thanks for bearing with me as I bring this back from the dead.

"I can't believe this is happening," Cullen laughed as they rushed through the open door. "It's been so long- please be patient with me if I seem a little out of practice."

Evelyn smirked. "So long since... what, exactly?"

Cullen, who had been throwing boxes to the side in order to clear the stairs, paled. "Uhh.... I thought... that we, well- you know..."

"You thought you were going to have sex with me in this dirty ass basement?" she asked, eyebrow raised. The stairs, even with a few boxes removed, were a disaster, and the room below looked even worse. Crates full of coffee cups, an old espresso machine, cobwebs, broken chairs... It wasn't particularly romantic, on second glance.

"Well, when you put it that way, it sounds rather crass, doesn't it?" He asked as he sat down on the nearest crate.

"Yup."

He ran his hand over the back of his neck. "I don't mean any disrespect. Just... the way you were kissing me... I didn't mean to presume..."

Evelyn sat down next to him on the crate. "It wasn't a big jump, I was totally into it. This space is just a wreck and we both deserve better than this."

Cullen's gaze darted around the room. This basement was a mess. He should clean it. He should make Sera clean it. "I'll have one of my employees clean it tomorrow. I'm sorry."

Now it was Evelyn's turn to laugh. Her nose scrunched and her cheeks glowed a rosy hue as her giggles echoed off the dusty brick walls. "You silly man. You can keep your storage basement as dirty as you damn well please. I wasn't criticizing your business..." she took his hand in hers, gently playing with his fingers as they made eye contact. "I was criticizing your seduction strategy."

He leaned back and tilted his head to the side, mouth open wide. "Ohhh, because inviting me to a bar that, after tempting me with your- how do I put this- extremely alluring feminine wiles... God, that sounded antiquated and ridiculous- but yes, you invited me to a bar, and it EXPLODED! So I'm not sure, darling, if... well, if you're the one to lecture me on seduction."

Her lips pursed as she deliberated whether or not to take it as a joke. Nope. Stonefaced, she replied. "Cullen, people fucking died."

He blanched.

"... Which is why it was a bad seduction attempt. You're totally right, I definitely screwed that up," she admitted with a grin.

His hair swayed gently as his head shook. With a curled lip and a low voice, he asked her "Did you seriously just make a joke about dead people?"

Evelyn's face darkened, more than he had seen yet. "Sometimes it's easier to get over things when you can laugh about them, even though they are terrible. You know? It's like the little jokes make the awful shit a little more digestible. Laugh seasoning."

He realized that her hand was shaking in his. "I hope I wasn't being too overly descriptive when I said I hadn't done anything... well, sexual in a long time. I- you said the other night that you were interested in me for more than a one night thing, and heh... well... after all of this, if you're still interested and feel the same way then I-"

She cut him off with a kiss. This one was slower, more restrained than their wild, passionate embraces in the coffee shop proper. There was no grasping for limbs, no attempt at some type of stereotypical romance novel purchase gaining. Evelyn took her time learning his lips. They were not particularly soft, though she hadn't expected them to be. Cullen appeared to be the type of man who would only use chap stick once it was too late. She could feel, as she nibbled on his lower lip, small scars within the natural ridges and indentations of his mouth.The one large scar, she had seen the first time they met. Shrapnel, she guessed. Though it could have been a knife. It wasn't the type of scar you'd get on your face during a fall- he hadn't crashed to the sidewalk as a child. Or perhaps he had, but none of that was evidently written in the history of his face. His breath was sweet-more than she had expected for someone who was around coffee so often. It seemed that he'd been indulging in chocolate more than coffee. It was irresistible, the taste of his mouth. 

His arms held her around her shoulders as they sat there, getting to know each other. He could tell that she was taking her time, and he could not have been more thrilled. Talking to her was thrilling, it was true. But her touch? Jesus, he couldn't get enough. Answering his question with actions rather than words was something he respected greatly. Cullen had never been an overly verbose person- though he enjoyed reading and respected language, he'd always seen it as primarily functional. Especially in the military. Using fewer, more concise words bought time and saved lives. He'd saved quite a number of them. Not all. He'd lost...

Cullen backed away, catching his breath. Evelyn's head tilted in surprise- she didn't think they'd been kissing so violently that he'd need to catch his breath. That's when his inhales became audible. He leaned forward, eyes welling. Cullen looked down at the ground, attempting to stave off the onslaught of emotion he was feeling. He knew it. This had happened every time he'd attempted to become moderately intimate with a woman since... 

He couldn't get her face out of his mind. Surana. His teenage crush- the woman he thought he'd be with for his entire life. The person who had made nearly a decade of war survivable. Five years ago, now, he'd lost her. And it was his...

The images faded as he noticed the circles that were being rubbed into his back. Evelyn was there, making firm, supportive contact. She wasn't cringing. She wasn't running away. Thank heavens, she wasn't laughing. He came to the conclusion that she realized he was going through something, and was attempting to help instead of thinking he was a crazy person and fleeing. 

Cullen kept his eyes towards the ground. He was crying fairly profusely now, and though Evelyn was helping, he still felt embarassed. It was only a matter of time until she asked him, until she wanted to talk about it. He knew how this went. Despite his knowledge of his own psyche, he kept attempting to seek out love, but each time he began getting intimate with a new person- more emotionally than physically, his dead girlfriend's visage would haunt him, and he'd break. He'd have a panic attack. It was to the point that this one was as under control as he could muster. This was... the fifth or sixth time? He wasn't certain. His hopes had been that this wouldn't occur with Evelyn. The other night at the bar, everything had been so immediately comfortable, so safe. So why was Surana in his mind's eye now?

Evelyn maintained her touch, running her hand in a figure eight on his back. He gazed up at her through his tears- he expected her brow to be furrowed, her lips to be pursed. The back rub was probably just until she could safely exit the situation. Jesus Christ, he'd attempted to seduce her in a dusty basement, and now she had to deal with his trauma? Cullen blew out a huge amount of air in a rather loud sigh. She'd be gone in a moment. He might as well apologize.

"Evelyn, I'm so sorry-"

But, she cut him off. "Why? Why the hell are you sorry? What do you have to be sorry about?"

She moved her hand to his head, running her fingers through his hair, delivering little scratches. He leaned into her touch and whimpered slightly. 

Evelyn continued. "Are you sorry for having feelings? For allowing yourself to feel?"

"Mmm. I guess so."

Her touch on his scalp intensified as she responded. "The only thing you should feel sorry for is feeling sorry for being sorry for that."

"Heh, that was quite a riddle, Evelyn."

"I'll keep going with it, then. Clearly, you needed to let something out. I'm not gonna be a dick about it and pry into your deepest darkest psyche when I've only kissed you a few times. That feels a bit inappropriate. So I'm just gonna sit here with you until you tell me you are okay, or you ask me to get the fuck out of your coffee shop." 

Cullen grabbed her hand from his head and began laying kisses on her wrist. She was thinner than he'd remembered from a week ago- perhaps the stress of recovering from the explosion. Her veins were more prominent. Though her skin was darker than his, he could see the faint blue of her arteries. He trailed his lips over it, humming to himself. 

She pulled him in and held him against her chest. "Be where you need to be, right now, Cullen. It's okay."

He considered making a joke about the fake that he was up against her breasts, but he thought better of it. The joke would have been a defense mechanism, and he knew it. She deserved better than that. Hell, he did too. So instead of joking, instead of flirting, instead of attempting to get randy or do something else to mask his feelings, he decided to say, "Thank you."

Evelyn kissed the top of his head. "My pleasure. We all have our shit. Yours decided to haunt you right now. It'll go away. No need to get emo about it."

Cullen laughed through his tears at that. "Here I was avoiding a joke about needing to be next to your boobs, and you... you call me emo."

She lifted him up from her chest at glared at his eyes. "You tried to make out with a woman and started crying uncontrollably. Plus, you hide your track marks and cuts with rose and cross tattoos. I think you fit the bill, barista man."

He retreated slightly at her words. "What are you talking about."

"Your forearms," she said, reaching for them. He recoiled. pulling his sleeves down as far over his wrists as he could. "I noticed the first time I came into your shop. You did drugs, hard ones. Looks like you tried to off yourself in that area too. You didn't commit to it. But you wanted to feel some shit. Then you found god or something and covered up the evidence with your new found higher power. How'd I do?"

Cullen had nearly fallen off the box as he slid away from her, so he righted himself as he spoke. "You're dead on. And far more perceptive than I'd expected."

"Guess I just rolled high on my awareness check when I got my latte." 

Cullen wiped away the last of his tears. "Seems as if you rolled a high charm as well."

Evelyn's face lit up. "You like tabletop games, Cullen?"

"I've played pen and papers in my time, yes, though I was always more of a miniature wargame fan. Part of why I went into the military, in fact."

"You chose to go into the military?" Evelyn asked, crossing her legs and leaning forward.

Cullen scratched the back of his neck. "Of course I chose to go into the military. How else... how would I end up in the military? We haven't had a draft in decades."

"Ah. Right. Shit, sorry." Evelyn bit her lip.

"Are you... not from here?" Cullen asked, quizzically.

"I'm not, no. I assumed you weren't either with your accent." 

Cullen smiled, coming back to himself. "Well... I am, actually. I grew up half in England and half in the United States. My mother was Scottish, and had the- my god, her accent was so strong. So, I have a double citizenship. But, my main- as a child, I went to school in England, but high school was here. Then, I joined the United States military... and was in Afghanistan off and on for ten years. So my accent is a bit of a mess, really. You?"

Evelyn blushed, and then took a deep breath. "I'm from Bosnia, originally. Srebrenica. I came here after the war, when I was 15. I had an aunt here in the United States. She took me in."

His eyes searched her features, looking for the trauma he expected. But there was none. She had spoken so matter of factly. He didn't know what else to say, so he landed on, "Damn. I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. I'm sure Afghanistan wasn't particularly fun either."

Cullen gritted his teeth. "Yes, that's one of the last words I would use to describe that experience."

They both sat in silence for nearly a minute. 

She laid her hand on his thigh. "Here we are talking about war and all kinds of awful shit, when I thought we were going to be making love."

"I thought this place was too, um, dusty for you?" Cullen looked around, and gulped. "Would you... would you like to, well, go back to my... place? I live about ten blocks away, and, if I haven't entirely killed the- I mean I wasn't expecting to talk about such deep topics- but if the mood is still here..."

Evelyn interrupted him. "Are you trying to invite me to your apartment?"

"Yes. That's, uh, exactly what I was doing. So... would you like to?" He stood, offering her his hand.

She took it. "Yes. I'd like that."

"


End file.
